This invention is related to a tooling boom having one end suspended beneath a support, and the opposite end adapted to support a tooling means such as on a production line or the like, and more particularly to a linear tooling boom, suspended from the support by a scissors-lift apparatus which permits the position of the boom to be both horizontally as well as vertically adjusted.
Tooling booms are employed on assembly lines, frequently with robotic devices, for example, for handling sheet metal parts such as fenders, hoods, deck lids and the like. The tooling booms are regularly changed to accomoodate the tooling for processing of different parts. The change-over requires considerable time removing the boom from the robot and replacing it with a different boom for a different part.
A conventional tooling boom has one end connected beneath an appropriate support and an intermediate, offset section or dog leg formed to properly locate the tooling means according to the position of the workpiece.
A problem with such an arrangement is that each tooling boom has its own unique dog leg to accommodate a particular tooling situation. Consequently a tooling boom suitable for one job is often unsuitable for another job.
Secondly, tooling booms with dog legs are difficult to store because the offset midsection increases the necessary storage space. Frequently tooling booms are employed for use in connection with robot-operated equipment. When a tooling boom is replaced by another tooling boom having a different dog leg, the robot must be reprogrammed to accommodate the difference in the location of the tooling means.